Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0FEMA expects less hazard damage per building in East Hempfield Township than in 68% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Hempfield Township gets a B+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns, #556 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%), then hurricanes (16%). Flood insurance has paid 63 claims here since 1978.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about East Hempfield Township’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What East Hempfield Township faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hurricanes
Earthquakes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind East Hempfield Township’s grade
River and rain flooding is 73% of the building damage FEMA expects in East Hempfield Township, and East Hempfield Township’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 16% (higher than 82% of U.S. census tracts).
B+ #556 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania; lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns (21,298).
East Hempfield Township’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Pennsylvania town has lower expected damage than 71% of U.S. towns; within the state, East Hempfield Township has more expected damage per building than 54% of Pennsylvania towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $7.1M a year in losses across East Hempfield Township: $5.7M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does East Hempfield Township flood? Sometimes: 63 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in East Hempfield Township, from FEMA’s records: 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Tropical Storm Lee13 claims · $325K
- Hurricane Ida3 claims · $109K
East Hempfield Township isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Lancaster County.The storms East Hempfield Township remembers
None of the 18 disasters declared for Lancaster County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching East Hempfield Township itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 198615 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 201113 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Lancaster County
- 19787 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Lancaster County has had 18 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Old photos of East Hempfield Township after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the East Hempfield Township archive →East Hempfield Township and its neighbors
East Hempfield Township is 2nd of the 8 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Petersburg | B+less damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| East Hempfield Township | B+less damage than 68% | river and rain flooding | 63 |
| West Hempfield Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 25 |
| Manheim Township | B+less damage than 66% | river and rain flooding | 49 |
| Rapho Township | B−less damage than 55% | river and rain flooding | 21 |
| Penn Township | B−more damage than 50% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Manor Township | B−more damage than 52% | river and rain flooding | 133 |
| Lancaster Township | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 99 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what East Hempfield Township faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in East Hempfield Township
Is East Hempfield Township at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, East Hempfield Township has lower expected damage per building than 68% of U.S. towns: B+ for hazard risk, #556 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (73%) and hurricanes (16%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does East Hempfield Township flood?
Flood insurance has paid 63 claims in East Hempfield Township since 1978, $1.1M in all, or 5.4 per 1,000 homes, more than 62% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 6 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Tropical Storm Lee (13).
Is East Hempfield Township in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Lancaster County, 27% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in East Hempfield Township?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for East Hempfield Township’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in East Hempfield Township?
By flood claims, Tropical Storm Lee: 13 paid, $325K.
Is East Hempfield Township at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (73%), and East Hempfield Township’s rate for it is lower than 53% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in East Hempfield Township.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where East Hempfield Township’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.